President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked memory chipmaker Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra for his trust and continued investment in Taiwan, in a rare public meeting with a senior foreign tech executive.
It is very unusual for Taiwan’s president to have publicized meetings with senior foreign tech executives, despite the nation being home to the world’s largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), whose chips help to power the surge in artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
Lai thanked Mehrotra for “showing trust and support for Taiwan” in a video released by the Presidential Office.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
“I want to thank Micron for its long-term investment in Taiwan and continuing to promote the upgrading of DRAM process technology in Taiwan,” he added.
Micron is one of the few providers of high-bandwidth memory chips used in advanced AI systems.
Taiwan hopes Micron will continue to expand its research and development capabilities, and the government will create a “friendly living environment” for foreign talent to meet the needs of companies, Lai said.
Last year, Micron launched a new facility in Taichung, which accelerated the development and mass production of advanced DRAM technology, as well as spurring supply chain localization, Lai said in a statement published on the Presidential Office Web site.
With Micron working side by side with Taiwan, the nation’s semiconductor industry has secured a pivotal global role, he said.
Moving forward, the government will continue developing the semiconductor industry and accelerate Taiwan’s transformation into an AI island, he said.
“It’s an honor to meet with you today,” Mehrotra told Lai.
Micron did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lai’s meeting with Mehrotra was not previously announced in the president’s official schedule, which is sent to reporters.
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